It wasn’t until Monday afternoon th

It wasn’t until Monday afternoon that Clyde was well enough for a short visit. Jax had to stay out in the waiting area while a young nurse led me into his room.
Seeing him lying on the narrow bed, his once big and bulky frame appearing so frail, and covered with tubes and wires, shook me up.
My knees knocked together as he blinked slowly and then I swallowed the raw emotion building in my throat. I sat in the small chair beside his bed. Reaching out, I placed my fingers over his. “Hey there.”
A weak, tired smile appeared on his lips. His complexion was terribly pale. “Baby girl . . .”
My breath caught. “How are you feeling?”
“Ready to . . . run a marathon.”
I laughed and my smile became wobbly. Several seconds passed as we stared at each other, and I had to swallow hard again. “I want you to get better.”
The weak smile fluttered. “On it.”
“I want you to get better so that when school starts back up and I come home on the weekends, you’ll make me tacos,” I told him. “Okay?”
His brows lifted a fraction of an inch and he murmured, “Home?”
Worried that the heart attack had messed with more than his heart, I nodded. “Yeah, when I come home, I want you . . .” I trailed off as the sharp slice of understanding cut through me.
Home.
I’d called here home.
And I hadn’t called here home in years, because it hadn’t felt that way since Mom went downhill and Dad left. My mouth opened wordlessly, but I didn’t know what to say. The strangest thing was I had no inclination to correct what I had said, because here . . . here was home again.
Wow.
I had no idea what to do with all that.
That exhausted smile showed off a toothy grin that faded quickly. “Baby girl, I never . . . thought I’d hear . . . that again.”
“I . . . I never thought I’d say that again.” Damnit. Tears made it to my eyes, and I wondered if this was the summer I went on Prozac. “But it’s . . .”
“It’s true.” He took a deep breath and winced. “It’s good, baby girl. It’s . . . real good.”
I squeezed his fingers gently and leaned forward, whispering, “It is.”
And I wasn’t lying. It really was. My heart kicked around in my chest as I wiped the back of my other hand across my cheek.
“You feel that?” he asked quietly.
“What?” I croaked out.
“The weight lifting a little . . . off you,” he said. “You feel it?”
My lips trembled as I nodded. “Yeah, Uncle Clyde, I feel that.”
Another deep breath passed and it took a lot for him to get his hand turned around. He squeezed my fingers back with the pressure of a toddler, and that was hard to see. “Your momma . . . she loved you, baby girl. She still does. You . . . know that, right?”
Smashing my lips together, I nodded. I did know that. In spite of all the terrible stuff she did, I knew she still loved me. She just needed the high more than she needed my love or me. It was just a sad truth about someone addicted to drugs.
His grip relaxed and he closed his eyes. I sat there for a couple more moments. “You need to rest. I’ll come back later.”
He nodded slowly, but as I started to pull away, his eyes opened and his hand flexed around mine. “That boy . . . he’s cared about you for a . . .” He faded out, and I froze, half sitting, half standing. Then he spoke again. “He’s a good boy, baby girl. Jackson’s always been perfect for you.”
“Always been?” I asked.
But there was no answer. Uncle Clyde was out, and his words left me confused. The way he spoke was like Jax had been in my life for a long time and he hadn’t. Then again, Clyde was on some pretty damn good painkillers. I stayed for a few more minutes, watching his chest rise and fall, reassuring myself that he was very much alive and that he was going to get better. I pressed a kiss to his cheek and then left the room.
I turned down the hall, passed the busy nurse station, and headed toward the waiting room.
Detective Anders was leaning against the wall, waiting for me. I couldn’t stop the tension that crept up over me when I saw him.
“Hey,” I said, slowing my step. I glanced at the windows of the waiting room. It was empty.
“Jax ran down a floor to get a drink out of one of the vending machines,” Detective Anders explained. “He should be back in a few. I told him I’d wait for you. I’d called your cell and when there was no answer, I called Jax.”
“Oh.” I folded my arms as I stared up at him, thankful I wasn’t thinking about how good-looking he was like last time. Crap. Now I was thinking that. The man could work a suit. Looking away, I wanted to kick myself in the teeth. “I left my phone in his truck.”
“How’s he doing?” he asked.
Taking a deep breath, I refocused. “He was awake for a little while, so I got to talk to him.” I hated what I said next. “He’s really weak, though, and I know he’s in pain, but he’ll . . . he’ll pull through.”
“He’s a tough guy. I’ve got to believe he’ll get through this, too.”
I nodded, folding my arms against the hospital chill. “Detective Anders—”
“Call me Colton.”
Colton? His name was Colton? I’d gone all my life not knowing someone named that, and I thought it fit him, a rugged and sexy name. “Colton, were you just checking on Clyde or . . .”
“A little of that, and I wanted to check in with you and let you know that we’re still working hard on everything.”
“So there’s no bad news?”
A sympathetic look crossed his face. “No, Calla, there’s really no news at this point. We haven’t been able to locate anyone who matches the description you provided us in criminal records and Mack is still lying low, but that’s a good thing. That last part, that is.”
I frowned. “How so?”
He looked around, then motioned to the waiting room with a jerk of his chin. “Let’s take this in there.”
Ruh-roh.
I walked through the door he held open and sat in the first chair. As he unbuttoned his suit jacket, he sat across from me. “We’ve been putting in a lot of visits to Isaiah. We’ve got nothing leading back to him, no surprise there, and even though he keeps his hands clean, we know those hands are all over this shit, you follow me?”
Mysterious Isaiah strikes again. “Okay.”
“He doesn’t like screwups or loose ends. Mack right now is both of those things and he’s bringing the heat down on Isaiah, plus Isaiah can’t be too happy about the drugs going missing,” he explained, eyes fixed on me. “Mack’s got it coming from both ends with Isaiah. He’s in the same boat as . . .”
“As my mother?”
He didn’t break eye contact. “Yes. I hate saying that to you, but yes.”
Running my hands over my jeans, I sighed. There was nothing I could say to that. Nothing at all.
“If you hear from your mom, you need to let us know,” he continued. “I know that’ll be hard, but it’s not safe for her. We are literally the lesser of two evils. You get what I’m saying?”
Unsure if I could do that, turn my mom over to the police, I shifted my gaze away. I knew it would be the right thing to do if Mom happened to pop back up and even though I wanted to say I could, it would be different if that situation arose.
Detective Anders stood, and I figured the conversation was over. He stopped at the door, head tilted. “You have a good thing going here, right?”
Thinking that was an odd thing to say, all I did was nod.
“Then take to heart what I said about your mother, Calla. I know she’s blood. I know you love her. And I know these things are hard, but don’t let her take these good things away from you.”

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Tidak sampai Senin sore itu Clyde cukup baik untuk kunjungan singkat. JAX harus menginap di ruang tunggu sementara perawat muda memimpin saya masuk ke kamar.Melihat dia berbaring di tempat tidur sempit, bingkai nya sekali besar dan besar yang muncul begitu rapuh, dan ditutupi dengan tabung dan kabel, mengguncang saya.Lutut saya mengetuk bersama-sama seperti ia perlahan-lahan berkedip dan kemudian aku menelan emosi di tenggorokanku. Aku duduk di kursi kecil di samping tempat tidurnya. Menjangkau keluar, aku meletakkan jari saya atas. "Hei ada."Senyum yang lemah, lelah muncul pada bibirnya. Kulit nya adalah sangat pucat. "Bayi perempuan..."Menangkap napas. "Bagaimana Anda rasakan?""Siap... lari maraton."Aku tertawa dan tersenyum saya menjadi goyah. Beberapa detik berlalu sebagai kita menatap satu sama lain, dan aku harus menelan keras lagi. "Saya ingin Anda untuk mendapatkan lebih baik."Senyum yang lemah terbang. "Di atasnya.""Saya ingin Anda untuk mendapatkan lebih baik sehingga ketika sekolah mulai kembali ke atas dan aku datang rumah pada akhir pekan, Anda akan membuat saya taco," kataku kepadanya. "Oke?"Alis nya diangkat sebagian kecil dari satu inci dan ia bersungut, "Home?"Saya khawatir bahwa serangan jantung telah mengacaukan dengan lebih dari hatinya, mengangguk. "Ya, ketika aku datang rumah, saya ingin Anda..." Saya membuntuti sebagai potongan tajam pemahaman yang memotong melalui saya.Rumah.Saya telah disebut di sini rumah.Dan aku tidak disebut di sini rumah tahun ini, karena itu tidak merasa seperti itu karena ibu pergi menuruni bukit dan meninggalkan ayah. Mulutku dibuka tanpa kata, tapi aku tidak tahu harus berkata apa. Hal yang paling aneh adalah aku punya tidak ada kecenderungan untuk memperbaiki apa yang telah saya katakan, karena di sini... di sini adalah kembali ke rumah.Wow.Aku tidak tahu apa yang harus dilakukan dengan semua itu.Senyum kelelahan memamerkan toothy senyum yang dengan cepat memudar. "Bayi... gadis, saya tidak pernah berpikir saya akan mendengar... itu lagi."“I . . . Saya tidak pernah berpikir saya akan mengatakan bahwa lagi." Sialan. Air mata membuatnya mataku, dan aku bertanya-tanya apakah ini musim panas aku pergi pada Prozac. "Tetapi memiliki...""Itu benar." Dia mengambil napas dalam-dalam dan meringis. "Ini adalah baik, bayi perempuan. Memang... benar-benar baik. "Aku diperas jarinya lembut dan membungkuk ke depan, berbisik, "Sudah."Dan aku tidak berbohong. Itu benar-benar adalah. Hati saya menendang sekitar di dada saya seperti saya mengusap punggung tangan saya yang lain di pipiku."Anda merasa bahwa?" Dia bertanya pelan."Apa?" Saya croaked keluar."Berat mengangkat sedikit... Anda," katanya. "Anda merasa itu?"Bibir saya gemetar karena saya mengangguk. "Ya, paman Clyde, saya merasa bahwa."Lain napas berlalu dan butuh waktu banyak untuk dia untuk mendapatkan tangannya berbalik. Ia diperas jari-jari saya kembali dengan tekanan balita, dan itu sulit untuk melihat. "Momma Anda... Dia mencintaimu, bayi perempuan. Dia masih melakukan. Anda... tahu itu, kan? "Smashing my lips together, I nodded. I did know that. In spite of all the terrible stuff she did, I knew she still loved me. She just needed the high more than she needed my love or me. It was just a sad truth about someone addicted to drugs.His grip relaxed and he closed his eyes. I sat there for a couple more moments. “You need to rest. I’ll come back later.”He nodded slowly, but as I started to pull away, his eyes opened and his hand flexed around mine. “That boy . . . he’s cared about you for a . . .” He faded out, and I froze, half sitting, half standing. Then he spoke again. “He’s a good boy, baby girl. Jackson’s always been perfect for you.”“Always been?” I asked.But there was no answer. Uncle Clyde was out, and his words left me confused. The way he spoke was like Jax had been in my life for a long time and he hadn’t. Then again, Clyde was on some pretty damn good painkillers. I stayed for a few more minutes, watching his chest rise and fall, reassuring myself that he was very much alive and that he was going to get better. I pressed a kiss to his cheek and then left the room.I turned down the hall, passed the busy nurse station, and headed toward the waiting room.Detective Anders was leaning against the wall, waiting for me. I couldn’t stop the tension that crept up over me when I saw him.“Hey,” I said, slowing my step. I glanced at the windows of the waiting room. It was empty.“Jax ran down a floor to get a drink out of one of the vending machines,” Detective Anders explained. “He should be back in a few. I told him I’d wait for you. I’d called your cell and when there was no answer, I called Jax.”“Oh.” I folded my arms as I stared up at him, thankful I wasn’t thinking about how good-looking he was like last time. Crap. Now I was thinking that. The man could work a suit. Looking away, I wanted to kick myself in the teeth. “I left my phone in his truck.”“How’s he doing?” he asked.Taking a deep breath, I refocused. “He was awake for a little while, so I got to talk to him.” I hated what I said next. “He’s really weak, though, and I know he’s in pain, but he’ll . . . he’ll pull through.”“He’s a tough guy. I’ve got to believe he’ll get through this, too.”I nodded, folding my arms against the hospital chill. “Detective Anders—”“Call me Colton.”Colton? His name was Colton? I’d gone all my life not knowing someone named that, and I thought it fit him, a rugged and sexy name. “Colton, were you just checking on Clyde or . . .”“A little of that, and I wanted to check in with you and let you know that we’re still working hard on everything.”“So there’s no bad news?”A sympathetic look crossed his face. “No, Calla, there’s really no news at this point. We haven’t been able to locate anyone who matches the description you provided us in criminal records and Mack is still lying low, but that’s a good thing. That last part, that is.”I frowned. “How so?”
He looked around, then motioned to the waiting room with a jerk of his chin. “Let’s take this in there.”
Ruh-roh.
I walked through the door he held open and sat in the first chair. As he unbuttoned his suit jacket, he sat across from me. “We’ve been putting in a lot of visits to Isaiah. We’ve got nothing leading back to him, no surprise there, and even though he keeps his hands clean, we know those hands are all over this shit, you follow me?”
Mysterious Isaiah strikes again. “Okay.”
“He doesn’t like screwups or loose ends. Mack right now is both of those things and he’s bringing the heat down on Isaiah, plus Isaiah can’t be too happy about the drugs going missing,” he explained, eyes fixed on me. “Mack’s got it coming from both ends with Isaiah. He’s in the same boat as . . .”
“As my mother?”
He didn’t break eye contact. “Yes. I hate saying that to you, but yes.”
Running my hands over my jeans, I sighed. There was nothing I could say to that. Nothing at all.
“If you hear from your mom, you need to let us know,” he continued. “I know that’ll be hard, but it’s not safe for her. We are literally the lesser of two evils. You get what I’m saying?”
Unsure if I could do that, turn my mom over to the police, I shifted my gaze away. I knew it would be the right thing to do if Mom happened to pop back up and even though I wanted to say I could, it would be different if that situation arose.
Detective Anders stood, and I figured the conversation was over. He stopped at the door, head tilted. “You have a good thing going here, right?”
Thinking that was an odd thing to say, all I did was nod.
“Then take to heart what I said about your mother, Calla. I know she’s blood. I know you love her. And I know these things are hard, but don’t let her take these good things away from you.”